Carlsbad Caverns National Park,
New Mexico: 14 June
2004

You ascend by car a couple
hundred feet to overlook the surrounding desert, then descend into the earth
for several hundred to reach the Caverns themsleves. It is cool and
damp inside, and voices are muffled by swirling echoes. The
backlighting of the formations within the cavern walls give a fireplace
effect, while the tall columns stand like melted statuary. [20 photos]